Landing pages are fundamental to generate new leads by capturing a visitor’s information through a form in exchange of content (think an ebook, a guide, a mini-course). There are several key components that make a landing page effective for converting a higher percentage of visitors into prospects, so here are 10 quick tips to build successful landing pages for better lead gen.
1. Landing Page must-have elements
Make sure your Landing Page contains the following elements, at the very minimum:
- A headline and sub-headline (optional)
- A short description of your offer with a few bullet points
- An image or short video
- A short form – the most important element on the page to generate leads
2. Does your landing page answer the “What’s in it for me” question?
What exactly is being offered? what is its value? Why should the visitor give their information in exchange? Make sure your copy focuses on the benefits, not the product/service
3. Identify goals and track key metrics
What are your goals? How many leads do you plan to generate? Set your conversion goals and metrics: landing page visits, bounce rate, exit rate and conversion rate.
4. Remove the main navigation
Remove the main navigation (menu) on your landing page to eliminate distractions and reduce the likelihood that visitors will click away from the Landing Page.
5. Have a clear call-to-action
Your call-to-action should be immediately clear to visitors. Which action you would like them to take? Download a guide, watch a video, start a free trial?
6. Keep the form short and above the fold
Keep the form above the fold, so that all information and form can be seen without the need to scroll down. Only ask for the information you really need, having too many fields on your landing page form can discourage visitors from filling and submitting the form.
7.Use progressive profiling to gradually capture lead data
Progressive profiling allows you to automatically remove any form fields for which you already have information on a lead and only display fields to leads that you have not captured yet. By using conditional fields, you can show a small number of fields on one form to maintain a high conversion rate while still capturing new information. For instance, you could ask for a job title after capturing the lead’s first name, last name, email and company.
8. Include social sharing buttons
Add social sharing icons and links to encourage visitors to spread the word about your offer on their own social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc.
9. Add social proof
Social proof like customer reviews and recommendations are compelling because they add credibility and help build trust. You can include a testimonial with a picture of the customer and a quote.
10. Keep testing to find areas for improvement
Continually A/B test elements of your Landing Page such as the layout, headline, image, copy, and form fields to see what is more effective and implement learnings to increase your conversion rates.
What are your own tips for creating landing pages that generate prospects?